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Hyde-Smith defeats Espy in Mississippi special election runoff, expanding GOP Senate majority | 27 Nov 2018 | Republicans on Tuesday expanded their incoming Senate majority to 53 seats, as incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith handily beat back an insurgent challenge by Democrat Mike Espy in Mississippi's special election runoff to become the first woman ever elected to Congress from the state. With 75 percent of precincts reporting, Hyde-Smith had 340,865 votes to Espy's 268,455 -- a commanding margin of 55.9 percent to 44.1 percent, according to state election officials. Hyde-Smith, 59, is an ardent supporter of President Trump who was appointed earlier this year by Mississippi's governor to fill retiring Sen. Thad Cochran's seat.